Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Her focus shifts my way as Chase responds, her gaze warming. “Yeah, Aaron’s still here. You’ll see him soon. Yeah, me, too. Really glad.”
Glad doesn’t begin to cut it. I don’t know what the best word is to describe how I’m feeling right now—joy, bliss, euphoria—but I know it’s laced with a heavy dose of gratitude. I’m so grateful for this chance, this woman.
Hell, I’m even grateful for Kriecheque the cheesehead. If he hadn’t smashed me into the boards, it might have taken even longer for us to find our way to each other.
But we would have gotten here eventually, I just know it.
Some things are meant to be.
Things like me and Mel and the family we’re going to make together.
A family I’m going to treasure all the more for how hard we’ll have to work for it. Anything worth having is worth fighting for, and Melly and Chase are the biggest prizes in the world.
At least for me.
Chapter 31
Melissa
Eleven Months Later…
* * *
“Hold me up, Mama!” Chase bounces beside me all the way down the steps to our seats at the front. “Hold me up, I want to see Awin skate fast!”
My three-year-old is now a raging hockey fan and getting much better at saying his “r” sounds. Except when it comes to “Awin.” But I kind of love that he still says Aaron’s name that way. And when he calls him “Daddy Awin” when he’s feeling especially love-y toward his bonus parent?
Well, that makes my heart feel like it’s about to explode with happiness.
He calls Radcliffe “Daddy Raddy,” too, but as much as he adores Ben’s husband, it isn’t the same. What he and Aaron have is special. They’re thick as thieves and I already know they’ll be best friends when Chase grows up.
And they’ll probably spend most of their time talking about hockey.
“Don’t worry, Mama, I’ll ‘splain the rules,” Chase says, as we arrive at our seats, and I hoist him into my arms to watch the teams warming up on the ice. When Chase spots Aaron he thrusts a pudgy arm in the air and shouts, “Awin! Daddy Awin! We’re here! We’re going to watch you win.”
Somehow, Aaron manages to hear Chase over the din in the arena and skates over, waving at us through the glass.
“Kick booty and take names,” I say with a grin. “And stay away from cheeseheads.”
“Cheeseheads better stay away from me,” he shouts, bumping Chase’s fist lightly through the glass. “Can’t wait to take you guys to pizza after the game.”
Chase cheers. “Pizza! Mama, pizza!”
“I heard,” I say, laughing as Aaron skates away. “But didn’t you have pizza last night at Daddy’s house?”
Chase puts a finger to my lips. “Shush, Mama. It’s okay. Pizza is okay all the time.”
I grin, my lips moving against his warm skin. “I agree, but we’ll have salad too, okay? We have to eat our veggies if we’re going to get big and strong.”
“Big enough to play hockey,” Chase says, his eyes gleaming. “Daddy Awin said I could start when I’m four. I’m almost four soon!”
“Not too long,” I agree, unable to believe my little guy is growing up so fast. I’ll miss his baby years, but I’m not too sad about it.
After all, I’ll get to start the baby years all over again soon…
The thought makes my heart flutter as the buzzer sounds. Chase and I cheer Aaron’s name as he takes the ice with the rest of the starting members of the team. The positive pregnancy test encased in a Ziploc in my purse is the perfect thing to keep my nerves in check as Aaron faces the dickhead who hurt him for the first time this season. (The last time the Midges played Wisconsin, Kreicheque was benched for another illegal hit.)
No matter what happens tonight, I have some amazing news guaranteed to cheer Aaron up in the face of a loss or make a win even sweeter.
As long as he doesn’t get hurt…
If that fucker comes after Aaron again, he’s going to have me to deal with.
I narrow my eyes, glaring at Enemy Number One as he skates by, his scraggly red beard hanging from his chin like a mangled pelt.
“Oh no! Bad Red!” Chase shouts, jabbing a finger his way. He knows Kreicheque by sight and has lumped him in with other much-despised villains like the sharks from Finding Nemo and the woman at daycare who refuses to let him do cartwheels on the playground. He looks up at me, adding seriously, “We don’t like Bad Red. He’s a mean guy.”
I nod. “He is. And a cheater.”
Chase’s nose wrinkles. “Cheaters are the worst.”
“The very worst,” I agree, forcing a smile. “But we won’t worry about him. Daddy Aaron is in great shape, his shoulder is all better, and he’s having a way better season than Bad Red. He’s got this.”